Taiwan itinerary 7 days — What to do in Taiwan for 7 days pefectly?

The beautiful island of Taiwan is not only known as one of the most developed economies in Asia but also as an attractive tourist destination with mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, temples, delicous street food or bustling night markets for visitors to enjoy shopping and many other famous special sights that can satisfy the most demanding visitors. And you are planning to travel to Taiwan for several days but do not know where to go, what to do? A short 7-day trip is also not a bad idea.

So, what to do in Taiwan for 7 days and how to spend 7 days in Taiwan (Taiwan 7 days 6 nights itinerary) perfectly? Let’s check out my Taiwan itinerary blog (Taiwan travel itinerary, Taiwan trip itinerary) with the details of Taiwan itinerary 7 days (Taiwan travel itinerary 7 days, Taiwan trip itinerary 7 days) to find out the answer.

Taiwan itinerary 7 days — Day 1: Saigon – Taipei

• Flying from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (2:00pm) to Taoyuan Airport (Taipei) (6:20pm).
• Check in: TAIPEI SUNNY HOSTEL. A top rated 2-star hostel with room rates from $31/night (You can check rates, reviews and book on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Walking around Taipei: Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101 Observation, Shilin Night Market

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a large building with elaborate and massive architecture to display documents, images and artifacts related to Chiang Kai-shek, the former president of the Republic of China and Taiwan. The monument has an octagonal shape (figure 8) that symbolizes wealth. The two large stairways leading to the main hall with 89 steps symbolize the age of Chiang Kai-shek. The memorial took 4 years to complete (1976–1980).

• Address: No. 21, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
• Opened: 1980
• Hours: 9AM–6PM
• Height: 76 m (249 ft)
• Phone: +886 2 2343 1100

Getting there

If you are fine, you can walk or take the MRT, from the hotel you will walk about 4 minutes to reach the National Taiwan University station, then take the train to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station (2 minutes), Exit 4.

If you love trees, flowers, birds.. then just a 17-minute walk from Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is the Taipei Botanical Garden.

• Address: No. 53, Nanhai Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10066
• Hours: 5:30AM–10PM
• Phone: +886 2 2303 9978#1420

Taipei 101

In this massive building, there are a total of 61 elevators, including 2 with high speed. Therefore, when you own the ticket to visit Taipei 101, you have saved a huge amount of time and will be experienced moving in a fast elevator up to 37 seconds to reach the top of the tower. From the 89th floor, you can start to observe the whole view of the city, and if you want observe the outdoor, continue to go up to the 91st floor, there will be an area for those who want to conquer the height.

• Address: No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
• Hours: 11AM–9:30PM
• Phone: +886 2 8101 7780
• Getting there: MRT Taipei 101 World Trade Center, Exit 1 — It takes 9 minutes, every 10 minutes has a trip, cost $1

Shilin Night Market

Shilin is Taipei‘s largest night market and famous for a range of traditional Taiwanese food as well as fashionable clothes. Most of the shops are located inside the building, but you can also see lots of shops and stalls along the street. Some famous snacks at Shilin night market include sausage wrapped with sticky rice, oyster omelettes, fried chicken fillet and bubble milk tea.

• Address: No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
• Hours: 4PM–12AM / Saturday, Sunday: 3PM–1AM
• Getting there: From Taipei 101 World Trade Center, take the MRT to Jiantan MRT station (it takes 21 minutes, every 10 minutes with 1 trip, cost $1-2), then walk 1 minutes to Shilin market.

Taiwan itinerary 7 days — Day 2: Taipei – Jiufen – Shifen – Taipei

• 8am: Taipei – Jiufen (Bus 1062 from MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing).
• 1pm: Jiufen – Shifen (From Jiufen, take the bus to Taipei, get off at Ruifang train station, then take the train to Shifen).
• 5pm: Back to Taipei
• Night at Taipei.

Taipei – Jiufen

Jiufen (9 parts) got its name from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there were only 9 households living in the village and trade was difficult, so every household who went out to buy goods would buy 9 parts. Later, Jiufen was discovered as a gold mine by the Japanese, therefore countless Japanese people also come here to live and work, so you will immediately feel a Japanese “signature” style when coming to Jiufen. Jiufen was also chosen as the setting for the movie Spirited Away. For Ghibli fans, this is a destination not to be missed.

 

Regardless of how you travel here, the drivers will drop you off at the bus stop halfway up the slope. There is a 7 Eleven convenience store nearby. (Right next is a toilet, if you need a WC, please take advantage)

From 7 Eleven up the slope a few steps, you will see the main road of Jiufen, Shuqi Road. The food, specialties, drinks to the souvenir shops and handicrafts are many and close together, there are hundreds of such shops in a narrow road only about 2 – 3 meters wide, enough to creating a very special space and atmosphere. On the two sides hang a lot of red lanterns, in the smoke of food stalls, plus a bit of cold fog of the mountainous area.

Take a short walk, the side of the road will appear tiny alleys with winding steps up and down. Those who love photography can thread into the shooting angle, look extremely vintage.

Go straight for 15-20 minutes to reach the end of the road. This area overlooking the sea, surroundings are mountains and houses. Linger at a tea shop or a cafe in this corner. Jiufen at a high place with cool, refreshing air, nothing can beat a sip of hot tea and a peaceful moment watching the sky and earth breathe quietly in the heart of Jiufen.

Read more: Jiufen travel blog — Explore one of the most beloved destinations of Taiwan.

Getting to Jiufen

Bus: Go to Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT, Brown Line 1 and Blue Line 5, Exit 1. Get out the station and go back to the intersection, turn left and walk for about 5 minutes to get to the bus stop, take the bus 1062 (Keelung Bus) to Jinguashi (every 1 hour has a trip), get off at Jiufen, the ticket price is NT$ 102 ($3.33). The bus rides along the mountain road and takes about an hour and a half to get to Jiufen, but you will be seen the spectacular scenery of the mountains . (Revealing that you should sit on the same side with the driver to watch the scenery.) The last bus trip from Jiufen back to Taipei at 7pm.

Train: From Taipei Main Station, take the train to the north to Ruifang Station. After get out the station and in front of the Wellcome supermarket, turn left and walk 200m down Mingdeng Road. Next to the police station is the e bus station (named Local Residents Plaza) with bus 827 and 788 to Jiufen. The bus takes about 15 minutes to get to Jiufen and the bus ticket is NT$ 15 ($0.5).

Shuttle bus: The most suitable and most convenient way is to rent a private transfer service from Klook with cost US$ 14.75, a shuttle service pick up and drop off. Link to book here: Jiufen Shuttle Bus from Ximen.

Details of how to go, the itinerary to visit Jiufen, the Houtong cat village, drop the sky lantern in Shifen, you can read here: Jiufen Shifen itinerary: Jiufen Shifen day trip — How to visit Jiufen and Shifen in one day from Taipei?

Shifen

Shifen means 10 parts, also means perfect. So this place has a tradition of releasing sky lanterns. The sky lanterns shimmering in the sky of Shifen, also means the wishes are shining, flying high and far. At this spot, it is not difficult for you to see the Taiwanese who are also standing next to you to drop their sky lanterns into the sky, because they also believe this.

Here are 3 best spots you can visit in Shifen:

Pingxi Old Street (Ancient, romantic and novel, must-go)

Pingxi old street is located right next to the old railway track, with open lawn, small shops selling souvenirs by the road.

The sky lantern price is around TWD100–150/lantern. Sky lantern is not only attracts tourists, but the people of Taiwan regardless of old and young also come here to write wishes on the sky lanterns and dropping them.

Shifen waterfall (Can be ignored if tired)

Shifen Waterfall is 20 – 25 minutes walk away from Old Street. The road down the falls has been built with sturdy staircases, both sides of luxuriant trees so it is both cool and safe and very clean. Resting or breathing makes you feel relaxed. But if talking about the majestic, then I have seen many more majestic falls in Vietnam. So if you are late and tired, you can jump over this point and go straight to the cat village.

Getting to Shifen: From Jiufen you take the bus in the opposite direction to Taipei to getting to Ruifang train station and get off the bus and take the train to Shifen. I think it took a long time to travel, so I don’t know it match my plan?

Houtong Cat Village (Should go, cute to heart-breaking)

The cat village is located at Houtong Station, only 1 station away from Shifen. Taiwanese love animals extremely, especially dogs and cats. About this cat village: One day in 2008, a girl stopped here and accidentally see many feral cats, so she volunteered to come here to take care of the feral cats in the region and nearby. Gradually gained attention from the people and became a favorite spot for locals and foreigners alike.

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